Review: Pennliess Cove Monsoon (Except Awesomeness)

One of the fantastic things about music is that it is constantly evolving. The sounds of the 50s are not the sounds of the 60s. Each era brings its own identity. Heck, even within that era, that are unique sounds (fusions if you will) that build a following. Sometimes it’s a mix of a couple different genres. At other times it’s a unique take on an well established genre. This evolution is what makes being a true music fan so exciting. You are guaranteed to hear something you have never heard before at some point in the future. Mix that in with some high quality artists and you are in music heaven.

Penniless Cove describe themselves as “dark quirky folk” group. Pardon my ignorance on the matter, but I never heard of that specific type of mix. Do I see where it comes from? Sure. There sound definitely has a quirky folk taste to it with some dark overtones in the lyrics. Ultimately you can group them into whatever genre you like. As the song “Monsoon Rain” shows, the bottom line is they are a damn good band, period.

I have to revisit a cliche I used in my last article; less is more. More and more this concept is winning me over. The main instruments throughout the whole song are a piano, violin, and cello. But, it’s not “just” a piano or violin or cello. The sounds are all sharp and distinct. The piano especially drives a lot of the different moods within the song, ranging from soft “sit-back-and-enjoy” tones to some hard “in-your-face-you-better-listen-to-me”. But all of this would not be nearly as successful if it wasn’t for some extremely excellent (am I even allowed to put those words together) vocals.

I get the fact that there has been a transition over the last 20 or so years. I get that lead vocalists no longer need to be actually good at singing. I will even agree that it’s the range of the different types of vocals in the music world now that help that evolution I mentioned at the top. However, it’s the vocals like the ones in this song that help me remember the difference that a talented singer can make to a track. Beyond the superbly well arranged lyrics, the execution of each note is what really made me pay attention to this fantastic song. The way Phoebe Osborne can switch tones and pitches throughout the song would put a large group of current “artists” to shame. The experience of just taking the song in is exciting and invokes active listening. She made me do it, whether I wanted to or not. That is significant talent. Don’t hope I listen to you, make me do it.

Penniless Cove is a UK based band who have a second album out right now. You can listen to their music by going to their bandcamp site or here. The link below is to the full album. This review is based on song number 4, though the whole album is definitely worth a listen.

So again, I’m excited. I love Penniless Cove. I must have more. Please make more. Thank you, bye.

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